NPU TOPS figures are quoted like horsepower, but what matters is the workload. At roughly 1 TOPS INT8, you can run MobileNet-class detection and classification at 30 fps while the UI stays responsive - that covers most single-camera inspection and presence tasks.
What fits comfortably
- Surface defect detection on a conveyor (single camera, <1 MP)
- Presence / absence and OCR on labels and panels
- People counting and basic pose estimation for safety zones
- Anomaly detection on vibration or acoustic signals
What needs more
Multi-camera inspection, 8K decode or running several models concurrently needs the 6 TOPS class (RK3588). The honest rule: size the NPU to the worst-case camera count, not the marketing slide.
Buy the NPU for the worst-case frame rate, not the demo. A model that runs at 30 fps on one camera can fall to 4 fps when you add a second.